In our quest to be more conscious consumers (your dollars are a pretty important weapon in fighting the good fight, ya'll), there's one Black-woman owned beauty brand that can't be overlooked. Not only has it honed a more economical and environmentally-friendly approach to shaving, it's also run by Karen Young, who is out to change the way we discuss beauty.
We're talking about Oui the People. It's a modern shaving brand that doesn't want to help you obtain "flawlessness" or "perfection"—as if that eternal battle is good for your mental health. Instead, they've created a smartly designed tool (a razor!) to, quite simply, help you feel amazing about the skin you're in (only want to shave every other Thursday? You do you!).
Oui's primary offering is a safety razor ($75), which, yes, feels intimidating compared to a "regular" razor. But when used carefully as directed (it's really not hard, but you can't use it the same way as your current plastic drugstore one), it'll give you the closest and smoothest shave of your life. Young and her crew of engineers designed the Oui razors to be a bit more gentle than your average safety razors, and—one of the best parts—they can even prevent ingrown hairs and razor burn because the single blade cuts your hair at skin-level.
The brand's other products include a body oil ($65) packaged in Italian glass, a bikini line sheet mask ($8) because, hello, your bikini line deserves a smoothing serum just as much as your face, and a shave gel-to-milk ($64) that smells like Neroli Jasmine. Okay, who told them about our last trip to the Italian seaside and how did they bottle the smell so fast?
We know what you're going to ask next, and yes, they're cruelty-free and sustainable. In fact, they use minimal preservatives and package all their goods in glass, recyclable or refillable containers.
While most of their products are currently available for pre-order (no biggie, you'll just receive them in the mail in four to six weeks), the review section confirms that they're worth the wait. We like to think of it as something to look forward to—and an excuse to not shave in the meantime.